J.R.R. Tolkien's 'Beren and Lúthien' to be published next year

WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE!

Drop everything and prepare yourselves for this. J.R.R. Tolkien, the late author and genius behind the beloved Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Hobbit, has a new book coming out in May next year!

Beren and Lúthien tells the epic love story of the human Beren and the elf Lúthien. For those of you not familiar with these characters, which appear in Tolkien's 1977 book Silmarillion, they're basically Aragorn and Arwen Vol.1.

Yes, we're crying too.

The new book will tell a more detailed account of the tale of Beren and Lúthien. Their relationship is not approved by the latter's father, King Thingol, who sets Beren an impossible task to complete in exchange for his daughter's hand in marriage: Beren is to recover a Silmarilli jewel (there are three in total), that was stolen from the elves by the evil Morgoth, the main antagonist in Silmarillion.

The story, originally written in 1917, will be edited and reworked by Tolkien's son Christopher for the new book. Alan Lee, who created illustrations for a few of Tolkien's previous works, will also provide illustrations for Beren and Lúthien. Here's a first look at the book cover.